People are always talking about the good old days. I have heard people say countless times that they wish that they could go back to the good old days. Well I like many of the modern conveniences that we have now adays. But I do miss the church of old. I so long to see and be a part of a church that is respected, right, real, and ready. I long to see the church, the bride of Christ, in her glory, winning souls, changing lives, even changing nations.
    I read of a revival off the coast of Scotland in which a preacher by the name of Duncan Campbell came to that little island to preach a revival meeting. He arrived on Saturday night. When he got off the ferry, he was met by the pastor who asked him if he would go by the church to meet a few folks. When he got to the church, it was full and running over. He was asked to say a few words and pray. When he had finishing praying, one after another began to pray, begging God for forgiveness and revival. They left after 2 AM. The next day, people can from all over the island to get saved. A part many people do not know about is this: there were two bedridden women who wanted revival for their island had been praying for years for this

    If you want to study revival in the Bible, you will have to go the Old Testament. From the time of Christ’s birth until John penned the words in Rev. 22:21, you will find only 90 years. But there is almost 4,000 years of history in the Old Testament. You will find really a correct picture of revival there. You find Israel sinning against the Lord. God judges this nation by allowing countries to oppress her. The nation of Israel would repent of their sin and cry aloud to the One who could and would be able to deliver them. They would come back to Him. For a while, they would follow His commandments. To illustrate this point, I want you to turn to (Psa. 107:8-15).
The church of the old days was better because

I. THE CHURCH WAS RESPECTED . Why? Because the church had
    1. A testimony.      Her testimony was in her,
        A. Preaching 

        B. Praying 

        C. Praising 

    2. A torch.

        A. The Word of God.

        B. Conviction Power

             1. A man would go to church and heard the Word of God. He would

                 go home and turn off the lamp, go to bed. He would be lay there

                 and hear the sounds of the cows, owls and other animals. God

                 would speak to his heart. Today, a man can hear a good salvation

                  message and be under conviction during the service. if he leaves  

                  lost, he goes home and turns on the television . And eases the

                 conviction that is burning in his heart.

    3. A touch of God

        A. The first church prayed for ten days, preached ten minutes and saw

             3,000 saved in one service. Today we preach for ten days, pray ten

             minutes and wonder if anyone would get saved. That touch was God.

II. THE CHURCH WAS RIGHT.
    1. The Right Doctrine  (Eph. 2:8-9) (John 14:6) (Rom. 10:9.10,13)

    2. The Right Blood. (Rom. 5:8-10)

    3. The Right Hope. (Titus 2:14) .

    4. The Right Direction. (1 Cort. 1:18)

        A. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing

            1. Music and singing are not the main thing.

            2. Church activities are not the main thing.

            3. Preaching is the main thing (ICort.1:21)

    5. The Right Desire

III. THE CHURCH WAS REAL. (2 Tim 3:1-5)

    1. The church has been reduced to a social club like the Lions Club etc.

    2. The Preachers were real.

        A. They really cared for the souls of men instead just caring just for a

             pulpit, parsonage, pay check, and pension.

        B. When he would come to the hardware store, people would stop their

              cussing and telling dirty jokes because they this was the man of God.

             Today they want to get the preacher to join in with their dirty jokes??

    3. The People were real. 

        A. Their tongue matched their religion. 

        B. Their business dealings matched their religion.

        C. Their families matched their religion.

    4. Power of God was real.

       A. They did not have to fake or put on a show about the power of God

           The power of God was really  there.

    5. Prayer life was real.

       A. When someone told you that they were going to pray for you, you

             could bank on

    6. Professions were real.

       A. When a person made an profession of faith, you did not have to beg

            him or her to come to church.

      B. Now someone says he/she gets saved and nothing changes. No desire

           for God, no disturbance over sin in their live and no time for God. 

           1. Maybe we need to remember (Heb.10:25) (Rom. 2:11)

    7. Praises were real. (Psa. 150:6)

       A. When was the last time that the Lord got so good that you could not

            hold it in until you had to tell someone or you fell on your knees and

            told Him those things that He loves to hear from us- those praises that

            He so richly deserves.

IV. THE CHURCH WAS READY.
    1. Ready to work (John 9:4)

    2. Ready to witness (Acts 1:8)

    3.Rready to worship (1 Chronicles 16:29) “

    4. Ready for warfare (2 Tim 2:3-4)

        A. There is a battle out there.

When I was little we used to play church. We'd get the chairs into rows, fight over who'd be preacher, vigorously lead the hymn singing, and generally have a great carnal time.

The aggressive kids naturally wanted to be up front, directing or preaching. The quieter ones were content to sit and be entertained by the up-fronters.

Occasionally we'd get mesmerized by a true sensationalistic crowd- swayer -- like the girl who said, "Boo! I'm the Holy Ghost!" But in general, if the up-fronters were pretty good they could hold their audience quite a while. If they weren't so good, eventually the kids would drift off to play something else -- like jump rope or jacks.

Now that generation has grown up, but most of them haven't changed too much. Every Sunday they still play church. They line up in rows for the entertainment. If it's pretty good, their church may grow. If it's not too hot, eventually they'll drift off to play something else -- like yachting or wife swapping.

The church is not:

* An ark for the saving of a select few.

* A ferryboat to take effortless passengers to the shores of heaven.

* A life insurance company, with no obligation on policy holders except the payment of a small annual premium.

* A social set, welcoming certain people and excluding others from its fellowship.

* A Sunday pleasure club for the providing of pleasant occupation on the day of rest.

The church is:

* A lifeboat for the rescue of sin-wrecked and perishing souls.

* A family, in which love and service are expected from each member to each member.

* An organized community, with constant activities and continual growth and

development.

* A company of believers who have found the one way of life and obey the one Lord of

life.

* A union of those who love for the benefit of those who suffer.

* A center of social worship, in which the spiritual life of each is helped by the spiritual

life of his fellow.

* The representative -- the "body" -- of Jesus Christ on the earth, reflecting his spirit and

controlled by his will.